


A Firehose, To Douse Your Flames of Passion

by LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio



Series: Shovels, The Guardian Tools [2]
Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Angst, Dad Ignis Ex, Death Threats, Don't Mess with Ignis' Kids, Drinking, Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Sex, Lio Learns the Pecking Order, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Past manipulation, Protectiveness, Puppy Love, Shovel Talk, Some Humor, Threats of Violence, Trust Issues, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25384471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio/pseuds/LasEstrellasdelPurgatorio
Summary: Ignis takes Lio out for a drink and a talk.
Relationships: Burning Rescue Members & Lio Fotia, Ignis Ex & Lio Fotia, Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos, Past Kray Foresight/Galo Thymos (One-sided)
Series: Shovels, The Guardian Tools [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826572
Comments: 18
Kudos: 82





	A Firehose, To Douse Your Flames of Passion

**Author's Note:**

> Why don't fathers ever give shovel talks to their son's dates?

“Fotia.”

Said greenet looks up at the call of his name, turning to look into the sunglasses-covered eyes of the captain, staring at him with a curious look.

“Yes, Captain Ex?” The former terrorist responds professionally.

Giving the petit male a quick look over (which is _not_ making him squirm internally), the captain continues, “…You got any plans tonight?”

Surprised by the question, Lio quickly composes himself and rebuttals with, “Why do you need to know,” and, seeing how that’s probably not appropriate to tell the man who’s keeping you from getting sent back to prison, he adds, “Sir?”

“It’s a simple question.”

Raising an eyebrow at his superior in suspicion, he answers with, “None in particular.”

“Good,” The larger man says in agreement, “Then how about you and I go out for a drink?”

Blinking in confusion, the smaller restates, “You…want to meet with me after work for drinking?”

“Yeah,” The captain confirms, “You’ve been here for a while now, so I figured it’s a little overdue to… _get to know you better_.” He says, a hint of… _something_ in his voice.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, your interests, plans for the future… _intentions_ for your coworkers.”

Continuing to look suspiciously at the captain, he retorts, “With all due respect, sir, my personal feelings are irrelevant to what is done here; nothing that I do in my personal time or my feelings on a subject will be an issue for the department, so I see no point in our meeting outside of work hours.”

“…You do realize you were a terrorist and that you’re still being monitored by the government as we speak, right? So, wouldn’t you benefit more by letting a key figure in your parole calm his worries about you?”

“…”

“We’ll head out around 8:00.” The captain finishes, turning around and heading towards his office.

Past Aina, Remi, Lucia and Varys, all failing to hide how they were listening into the conversation.

“Damn…” Varys mutters, “I thought he’d wait until they got a little more serious before he went in.”

“With how thing are,” Lucia retorts, “The only thing they haven’t done by now is drive to Vegas and get Elvis to make it official.”

“They did rush into this a bit,” Remi agrees.

Varys continues with a sigh, “I was just starting to get used to the little guy.”

“Poor Lio…” Aina mumbles in agreement.

“What about Lio?”

Turning their heads to the new voice, they see Galo, freshly out of the showers, standing behind where Aina’s seated on the couch.

“Oh, Galo…” Aina starts sympathetically,

“What?”

Placing a hand on his shoulder, the pilot answers, “The captain’s taking Lio out drinking.”

“…OH, COME ON!”

Staring at the bluenet in shock, the four watch him chase after the captain as Lio joins them in their observation.

“Is Galo all right?” He asks, a hint of confusion leaking into his voice.

“Well…” Aina begins.

“CAPTAIN! HOW COULD YOU INVITE LIO OUT FOR DRINKS BEFORE _ME?!!!”_ Galo demands of the older man.

“…”

“…He _cannot_ be serious.” Remi says as Galo continues to follow the captain who is skillfully ignoring the mohawked man’s whining.

“You never ask me if I want to go, and I’ve been here longer than Lio has!” The hothead complains, “Can I at least come _with_ you guys?” He asks, puppy dog eyes out.

“No.” The captain shoots down immediately as he goes into his office and shuts the door in Galo’s face.

“Does Galo seriously not get what ‘Drinks with the Captain’ is really about?” Lucia muses, popping out her sucker as she lays her arms over the armrest of the couch.

“Is there some ulterior motive that Captain Ex has?” Lio asks, a serious look on his face.

“Lio,” Aina starts, patting a spot next to her, gesturing for him to take it, “We need to talk.”

Taking the offered seat, he regards the other four firefighters with a suspicious look.

“You see,” Remi begins, “A ‘drink with the captain’ is a bit more than what you’d think.”

Sighing, Varys puts a comforting hand on Lio’s small shoulder, cautious and slow to avoid surprising him.

“Lio,” Lucia starts.

“You’re going to get a shovel talk.” Remi finally says.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…He wants to talk about shovels?” Lio asks, confused.

The sound of four firefighters dropping to the ground in sheer incredulity at someone’s stupidity echoed throughout the halls of the station for the remainder of the day.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

 _El Padre Lobo_ was…not where Lio expected a man like the captain to go when he went out for drinks. While tidy as it is, with the various shady characters in the place playing nicely under the watchful eye of the barkeep (one in a uniform, no less) for the time being, gambles being held, more than one opposing gang in a tense stare down with another and the disappearance of some into the bathroom for hours along with it’s placement in one of the sectors of Promepolis that would never get reported on outside of a special on juvenile delinquency, it’s clearly not a place one would think that such a well-respected figure in the city’s administration would occupy after work.

But the captain seems perfectly at ease as he weaves through the patrons to the bar.

“Oooooh, Ignis!” One pipes up, “Nice piece of ass you got there!”

“Hey, baby!” Another starts, “Come over here, let’s have a good time!”

“Wait…” Someone else pipes up, “Isn’t that the guy who lit everything on fire?”

Ignoring the other patrons, the two sit themselves on the stools in front of the bar, where the captain gives a grunt which prompts a nod from the bartender, who begins mixing a drink. Clearly, there’s a routine to this.

“Go ahead and order something,” the captain encourages, not looking at Lio, “It’s on me.”

“That’s not necessary,” Lio tries to argue, “I’m capable of-”

“Fotia, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Biting back a retort, Lio decides to just accept the momentary kindness from the captain.

“Whiskey, if you have it.” He tells the bartender.

He gets a nod in agreement, and his drink is started on as soon as the captain’s is placed in front of him.

“Pretty strong for the first round,” The captain observes.

“It’s what I’m used to,” he answers, taking the glass in one go after it’s been placed in front of him.

Memories of staying up drinking with Gueira and Meis in whatever abandoned building they could find any preserved booze in briefly flood his mind, almost bringing a smile to his face.

Putting the glass down, still not making eye contact, Lio finally decides to say, “If you have something to tell me, please do so already. I’d prefer not to waste any time that either of us have, sir.”

“Straight to the point,” the captain affirms, “I like that in a man.”

Downing his own drink, the captain finally turns his head to look into Lio’s eyes.

“Alright,” the older man finally says, “Here’s the gist of it: You knew Galo for about two weeks, then you stuck your dick up his ass; I’m not happy about that.”

_Ah._

“And,” the captain continues, “As you probably could have told, that was his first time; two or three days after you try to light him on fire, you move in and take the kid’s virginity.” Eyes flashing underneath his sunglasses in a glare, he continues, “Do you get why that isn’t okay?”

“…I’d like to say, ‘Yes,’” Lio begins, “But the way we Burnish live, we go as soon as we can, because there’s no guarantee you’re going to see tomorrow.”

The captain nods in understanding, “I can understand that, it’s how things go in war.”

Before Lio can ask what war the captain was in, the man continues, “But you need to understand that’s not gonna fly here.”

“Sir,” Lio cuts in, “Is this the ‘Shovel Talk’ I was told of?”

Chuckling, the man tells him, “No, it isn’t” a hint of humor in his voice…

…before he lets his eyes light up in fury.

_“This is.”_

And now there’s a freeze gun slammed onto the bar, and Lio does not doubt that the captain would be able to grab it and shoot him quicker than he could try to run away, even if he made use of one of the possible distractions he analyzed were available when they came in.

It’s a habit, one that won’t just go away with a warm bed and a roof over his head.

One that probably won’t be of much use against whatever kind of creature the captain is.

“Now,” the captain starts again, “I think you and I need to come to an understanding, Mr. Fotia.”

Outwards, the face of Lio Fotia is set in stone, calm yet cautious of the man seated next to him; internally, he screams in fear over the captain somehow being more terrifying than the world erupting from lava gushing out because of the suffering his people endured due to the depravity and selfishness of a politician.

And, despite all of the time he’s spent keeping a mask of control and strength to give his people the image of a competent leader instead of the worthless failure they actually had…

The captain seems to see right through him.

“I don’t know all of the specifics of what you’ve done: I don’t know how many members of Freeze Force you took down, I don’t know how you managed to evade capture for so long, I don’t know how much of you was able to take the city hostage, or even if that was the full extent of what you could do; I don’t know how complicated your plans can get, I don’t know what kind of shit you pulled throughout your life, I don’t know why you can probably bench a Rescue Gear and I don’t know exactly who you are. _And I don’t give a damn.”_

Tilting his head, making Lio cry out for mercy internally, the captain continues.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, because anyone who tries to start something with one of my unit is automatically someone who’s going to spend the rest of their life making sure they. Don’t. Fuck. Up. Save the world? Still not good enough for one of my kids.

“And don’t think I’m being biased because of all the shit you used to pull,” he says, giving a gesture to their surroundings, “You could be a doctor, teacher or a goddamn relief worker and I’d still want you fifty feet away from Galo’s room; the second they seem interested, they’re all registered as ‘shit.’” Taking a swig from his refilled glass, the captain levels Lio with a glare.

“Galo, for all the headaches he gives us, is a good kid with a kind heart that looks for the best in everyone. Always going around, trying to make everyone happy, throwing himself into whatever situation he can to make sure everyone gets out safe. Hell,” the captain says, seeming to be reminiscing about something, “The kid once went back into a burning building just to get a little kid’s stuffed dog for ‘em,” chuckling, the captain shakes his head fondly, “I swear, that boy is going to be the death of me.”

Lio can sympathize with that thought.

“And how did the world reward him for being like that?” The captain asks rhetorically, the temporary humor evaporated. “Burned his house down, killed his parents, left him to be manipulated by a sociopath, dragged him through foster homes because whatever relatives he had left didn’t even try to understand him, had his heart broken by the man he looked up to and left him with absolutely no regard for his own safety.”

Pinning Lio down with a glare, the captain continues, “So you can imagine how I’d feel if someone were to take advantage of my boy, _wouldn’t you_?”

Putting all his energy into preventing himself from gulping, Lio forgoes words for a nod.

“Good. So you _think_ you know how bad this could get.” 

_…Maybe I should have taken up Lucia on her offer to break my arm so I didn’t have to come, she was just looking out for me._

Motioning to the freeze gun, the captain asks, “You ever get hit with one of these at full, focused on one specific part of your scrawny little body?”

Nodding again, the captain doesn’t seem surprised.

“Good; has it ever been what you’ve got between your legs? Because if you break Galo’s heart, that’s where I’ll _begin_ when I kill you.

“Now, I do believe you’re a good person; you wouldn’t be here if Galo didn’t think you were. But,” he interjects, shattering whatever relief Lio started to feel, “We’ve all been wrong about people before. And the last time, it nearly got everyone killed. So, we need to be cautious.”

Feeling the comparison to Kray Foresight, Lio’s fear is overtaken by the ever-present rage that bubbles beneath his skin.

“Sir,” Lio cuts in, “I would appreciate it if you didn’t put me in the same class as that filthy piece of human garbage.”

“Sorry,” the man says, “But before you go anywhere further with Galo, you need to see the whole picture.”

Taking a second to collect himself, he nods.

“Galo…was utterly devoted to Kray Foresight. Everything he did, he did it to reflect well on that man. Every single day he’d basically pray that he got to see him by some chance. I thought it was just hero worship at first, but it ran deeper than that.”

Noticing the furrowing of Lio’s brows, getting tighter by the second, hands gripping the bar tightly, starting to breathe heavily, Ignis presses on.

“One day I asked him about it, and he told me something that I am sure he’s trying to forget with all his power right now.”

“…”

Ignis knows he’s about to set a bomb off.

“Fotia…”

But he’s ready to deal with the consequences.

“Galo was in love with Kray Foresight.”

_CRSHHHHHHH!!!!!_

And half the bar is down, shattered by Lio pounding his fists onto it, a scream tearing out of his mouth, chunks in his hands, cracks spreading throughout the other half, patrons taking notice and starting to surround them.

Until Lio shoots them a glare that any sane person would choose death over seeing, sending them all off.

“I tried to tell him it was just a crush, that he was too young to know what being in love really meant, but it just couldn’t sink into his head. He wanted to prove himself, wanted Foresight to see him as a man, convinced himself that he wanted to marry the man as early as middle school, didn’t even consider dating anyone else in all that time.”

“… _No…”_

“…He wanted to save his virginity for Foresight.”

_BAMMMM!!!!!_

And that foot just left an imprint in the floor, cracks spurting out, patrons backing up as far as they could.

“T…THAT BASTARD!!!! HE KNEW, DIDN’T HE?!!!” Lio screams out, “KRAY _FUCKING_ FORESIGHT _KNEW_ , AND HE USED IT, DIDN’T HE?!!!!”

“I don’t think-”

“BULLSHIT!! THAT’S WHAT HE DOES!! HE SEES WHAT HE CAN DO AND USES IT UNTIL HE GETS WHAT HE WANTS, THEN HE THROWS YOU OUT LIKE GARBAGE!!”

“Okay, calm down.”

“HE SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ALLOWED ANYWHERE NEAR GALO!! HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT _ANYONE_ BUT HIMSELF!! HE RUINS YOU _AND HE DOESN’T **FUCKING** CARE!!!”_

“Fotia, calm down. He probably didn’t care enough to notice how Galo felt.”

“I’LL KILL HIM!!! I’M GOING TO RIP HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF AND SPITROAST THE BASTARD!!!!” The kid screams as he starts to turn around, as if he’s about to stomp out of there.

Gripping the kid’s shoulder, trying to ground him back to reality; it works, realization flashing in his eyes.

“I…I…” He says as he looks over the damages. Schooling his face back into composure, he turns to the bartender, “I apologize for my outburst, and, please, I’ll pay for the damages…”

The bartender nods sagely in understanding, still polishing a glass.

Handing the bartender some cash, the captain dismisses Lio’s protests, “You’re still not getting paid yet, so I’ll handle it.”

“But…”

“I’ll just take it out of your future paychecks, now sit.”

Registering the commanding aura of the captain, Lio does as he is told for once.

“So, there you go,” Ignis says, “Galo’s first love betrayed him, and before he could really move on, he attached himself to you. So, he hasn’t been able to learn that a relationship shouldn’t be based on one person trying to earn the other’s approval; it’s already a problem with the rest of us, but you’ve basically taken Foresight’s place to him, so he’s probably killing himself to please you.”

“…”

“He’s grown up enough to fight back when something you do is wrong to him, but he’s still completely unconcerned with his own safety; it’s bad enough in the field, but intimately? Do you think he’d ever bring up if something you did was making him uncomfortable? That he’d tell you he has limits?”

“…He…”

“Galo doesn’t like to admit he can’t do something; that can be good or bad depending on the context, and in sex, it’s bad. So, it’d be easy to take advantage of him, and the realization that he’s being used by someone who doesn’t love him the way he does them again…it’d destroy him.”

“…Galo…”

“And that’s why we’re having this little chat; if Galo ever stops being himself because you did something, something that just breaks him, well…you won’t have to worry about Burnish integration anymore.”

“…”

“Now I know you’ve probably gotten around plenty before you got here, but Galo is not just going to be another one of your lays, got it?” The captain presses, nearly growling, gun pointed dangerously close to Lio’s penis, “He’s not just some other notch in one of your fifty belts, you are going to be a goddamn gentleman with him, understand? The second you realize he’s not comfortable with something, you stop. He asks you to stop, you drop it. He wants to go somewhere? You open the door for him. Puddle in front of him? You put that seven-hundred-dollar biker jacket down so he doesn’t get splattered. _If I hear you made him cry once, you are dead_.”

Looking at the captain with determination in his eyes, Lio speaks calmly and clearly.

“If I ever hurt Galo, I’m sure I’ll deserve anything that you choose to do and more.”

Taking a breath, the Burnish continues, “Galo…makes me happy. I know, that’s not something I deserve, but it’s addicting, and he is utterly convinced that my comfort is something worth focusing on. He frustrates me, but…I…I don’t want to be without him. He’s always trying to make me happy, and when I’m not, I know it kills him but he just won’t stop trying. I owe him so much already, but he never asks for anything in return, because he thinks it’s enough that I’m just there, but it’s not.

“So I’m going to make him happy and keep him safe. That’s…That’s enough for me in this life, sir. You have no reason to take me at my word, but I swear I’d never try to hurt Galo.”

“…Good.” The captain tells him as he re-holsters his weapon, “I guess we’re done here.” He says as he gets off his stool, “Come on, let’s head out.”

Following after the captain, the patrons giving them a wide berth, the two exit the bar.

“You need a ride home?” The older man asks.

“No, I-” Lio tries to say as they hear someone call out, “LIO! CAPTAIN!” And see Galo rushing over to them.

“Galo?” The captain asks as the bluenet comes over, “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I didn’t want to take any chances at Lio getting too drunk to drive and I was out with Gueira and Meis nearby, so I decided to wait up for you guys!”

“You didn’t have to-” The captain tries to say, but stops as Lio makes his way over to Galo.

“Lio?” The bluenet asks, “What’s u-”

_Pat._

Eyes widening at the sudden head pat, his face flushes at the sight of the small smile on Lio’s face.

“I just like seeing you.” The smaller explains softly.

“Oh! …Okay!”

Chuckling softly, placing a hand on Galo’s back, the Burnish says, “Let’s go home, Galo.”

“Alright! See you tomorrow, Captain!”

“Have a good night, sir. Thank you.”

“Likewise.”

With that, the two begin their way over to the bike, halfway there before the captain calls out, “Fotia.”

Turning to regard the older man, he shudders at the intense look being sent to him that Galo seems to be confused by.

Lowering his sunglasses slightly, the captain says, “…Pull that hand up.”

And in less than a second, Lio’s slid his hand up from Galo’s lower to higher back.

“Good.” And with that, the captain departs.

“…Lio?”

“…Galo.”

“Yeah?”

“What exactly _is_ the captain?”

“Oh, Lio!” The taller responds jovially.

_“No one knows.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Is it appropriate to say that Ignis just radiates Dad Energy the second you see him?


End file.
